Measure	Pre project	Post project	Change	% Change
Personal Income Per Capita	0	0	0	N/A
Economic Distress	0	0	0	N/A
Number of Jobs	0	0	0	N/A
Business Sales (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Tax Revenue (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Population	0	0	0	N/A
Property Value (median house value)	0	0	0	N/A
Density (ppl/sq mi)	0	0	0	N/A

Measure	Pre project	Post project	Change	% Change
Personal Income Per Capita	22,924	23,918	994	0.04%
Economic Distress	0.27	0.31	0.04	0.14%
Number of Jobs	16,714	18,577	1,863	0.11%
Business Sales (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Tax Revenue (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Population	39,950	38,951	-999	-0.03%
Property Value (median house value)	0	0	0	N/A
Density (ppl/sq mi)	18.50	18.04	-0.46	-0.03%

Measure	Pre project	Post project	Change	% Change
Personal Income Per Capita	30,103	36,046	5,943	0.20%
Economic Distress	0	0.96	0.96	N/A
Number of Jobs	2,101,110	2,927,730	826,620	0.39%
Business Sales (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Tax Revenue (in $M's)	0	0	0	N/A
Population	4,276,550	5,160,760	884,210	0.21%
Property Value (median house value)	0	0	0	N/A
Density (ppl/sq mi)	64.27	77.55	13.29	0.21%

Measure	Direct	Indirect	Total
Jobs	0.00	0.00	0.00
Income (in $M's)	0.00	0.00	0.00
Output (in $M's)	0.00	0.00	0.00

Eastern Washington - SR 195 Bypass

1.0 Synopsis

The construction of the US-195 bypass in Rosalia, Washington helped to define its character as a bedroom community serving metropolitan Spokane. It diverted passenger and truck traffic away from the main street, which contributed to a loss of business activity in the downtown. This shift in movement helped Rosalia become a more quiet community and attracted commuters to Spokane by providing a fast north-south route. The bypass may have accelerated the decline of some faltering businesses at the time, however, it has not been perceived as having a substantial impact on the town. The total impact of the bypass is estimated at 5 to 10 jobs.

2.0 Background

2.1 Location & Transportation Connections

US-195 is a 94-mile, north-south highway connecting Spokane, Washington and Lewiston, Idaho. The road connects with US-95 and Interstate 90. Rosalia is located about 30 miles south of the city of Spokane. Along the length of the bypass, the only connection is with Merritt Road - a dirt road that runs through farm fields. Aside from reconnecting with the original US-195 alignment at the endpoints, the US-195 bypass around Rosalia connects with SR-271 at the southern end.

2.2 Community Character & Project Context

Rosalia is a small, agricultural community with a population of 648 (2000 Census). Situated in eastern Washington, the town is surrounded and defined by the rolling hills that comprise the greater Palouse region which is characterized by wheat production and other dry crops.

Rosalia serves as a bedroom community for both Pullman and Spokane. Pullman, home to Washington State University, is located about 42 miles to the south of Rosalia along US-195; Spokane, the largest city in proximity, is about 30 miles to the north. The original US-195 and its bypass are both part of the Palouse Scenic Byway roadway network.

3.0 Project Description & Motives

In 1975, construction of the 3.6-mile bypass of Rosalia was completed and the highway was opened to the public. It is a two-lane undivided highway for the length of the bypass, with an interchange at either end of the route reconnecting with the historical alignment. In the planning process (1974), the estimated construction and property acquisitions cost $4.8 million.

Construction of the bypass was not explicitly motivated by economic factors, but instead was intended to provide an unimpeded route to Spokane without the inconvenience of traffic stoppages that would occur by travelling through towns along US-195. With towns spaced in regular intervals of ten to thirty miles along US-195, the bypass of Rosalia was planned to provide for a steady flow of commercial and agricultural movements in the region, avoiding stops, potential congestion, speed limitations, and the associated travel unpredictability.

4.0 Project Impacts

4.1 Transportation Impacts

4.2 Demographic, Economic & Land Use Impacts

Given that the bypass has diverted most of the through and truck traffic from the town to its periphery, the bypass has enabled the town to become a quiet, isolated "bedroom community" for Spokane and Pullman. However, the bypass also removed traffic that would have previously stopped in the town to shop.

After the bypass development, some stores in Rosalia lsot business and eventually closed, including: two service stations, a tavern, and a grocery store. Several restaurants have struggled and a small automobile dealer moved from the town in 1981. However, local sentiment suggested that the economic sustainability of those businesses was already questionable, indicating that the bypass may only have accelerated their closure rather than initiated it. In summary, an estimated 15 to 20 total jobs were lost since the bypass opened, of which only 5 to 10 could be attributable to the bypass. Other lost jobs are a reflection of insufficient local demand that would have occurred regardless of the bypass construction.

Currently, residents are obliged to travel to another town or city in vicinity to access a grocery store. In February 2009, one resident provided an incentive to attract and retain a viable grocer in town, offering a facility for no rent. Lack of available basic goods, such as a grocery store, has curtailed other businesses development. According to the mayor, if the bypass was not built, the grocery store could have been retained.

Since the construction of the bypass, the business district in town has remained small and land-use patterns have remained unchanged. Some new housing has developed sporadically in Rosalia since construction of the bypass. Although, there has been no residential or commercial development along the bypass route.

5.0 Non-Transportation Factors

Family-owned farms have been merged into larger commercial farm enterprises because of economies-of-scale. This has displaced the population base since alternative opportunities are not readily available in the rural communities. According to the interviewees, this farm-consolidation effect is likely the largest influencing factor on the changes that have occurred in Rosalia rather than the bypass.

6.0 Resources

6.1 Citations

Palouse Regional Freight Study – Final Report. Prepared by HDR for the Palouse Regional Transportation Planning Organization. September 28, 2007. http://www.palouse.org/Reports/PalouseRegionalFreightStudy2007.pdf
Gillis, William R., Ph.D. and Kenneth Casavant. “Lessons from Eastern Washington: State Route Mainstreets, Bypass Routes, and Economic Development in Small Towns”; Eastern Washington Intermodal Transportation Study Research Report Number 2. February 1994.
Annual Traffic Report 1970. The Washington State Highway Commission: Department of Highways, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tdo/PDF_and_ZIP_Files/1970_ATR.pdf
Annual Traffic Report 1980. State of Washington Department of Transportation, Division of Public Transportation and Planning, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tdo/PDF_and_ZIP_Files/1980_ATR.pdf
2000 Annual Traffic Report. Washington State Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/mapsdata/tdo/PDF_and_ZIP_Files/Annual%20Traffic%20Report%202000%20v3.pdf
Palouse Economic Development Council’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the Southeast Washington Counties of Asotin, Columbia, Garfield, and Whitman, 2008. http://www.palouse.org/Content/2008CEDSFINAL.pdf
http://www.kxly.com/Global/story.asp?S=9804599
http://www.ofm.wa.gov
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Freight/FGTS/default.htm
http://www.palousescenicbyway.com/
http://www.srview.wsdot.wa.gov/srweb/srweb.htm
http://www.townofrosalia.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_195
http://www.palouse.org/

6.2 Interviews

Organizations

Rosalia, Washington

WSDOT Eastern Region

Washington State University (Pullman, WA)

Footnotes

Case Study Developed by Wilbur Smith Associates

Project: Eastern Washington - SR 195 Bypass

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